Swine flu cases on the rise in UP, 780 cases reported this year

Meerut is worst affected with around 200 cases reported so far, followed by Lucknow with 173 cases and Ghaziabad with 128 cases. Deaths reported this year are from Rae Bareli, Bareilly, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Kushinagar and Lucknow.

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More than 780 cases of swine flu have been reported in the state since January this year, against last year’s less than 100 cases, a health department official said. At least nine persons died this year against the overall eight deaths in 2018, he added.

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Meerut is worst affected with around 200 cases reported so far, followed by Lucknow with 173 cases and Ghaziabad with 128 cases. Deaths reported this year are from Rae Bareli, Bareilly, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Kushinagar and Lucknow.

“So far, at least 780 cases have been reported in the state since January 1. Among these, at least nine died. The number of cases this year has significantly increased since last year when in the whole of 2018 we reported less than 100 cases. Meerut, Lucknow and Ghaziabad are the worst affected districts this year,” said H K Agarwal, Joint Director (vector-borne disease).

“There is a very significant change since the last year. While in 2017, the virus affected mainly during the rainy season with the highest number of cases reported in September and October, this year, it is showing its effect in the winter itself. In 2018, the virus was not much active at all. Though the previous data suggests that the virus does attack mainly in winters and year 2017 was an exception,” he added.

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Talking about the steps taken to curb the spread of the decease, Director General (DG), Medical & Health, Dr Padmakar Singh said that an advisory has already been issued to all the districts with rapid response teams present in all the affected districts.

“The teams have been asked to rush wherever a case is reported,” said Singh. Agarwal said that awareness is being spread through posters, banners, newspaper and TV advertisements.